Demonstrations: AfD youth and protests – Gießen before a great weekend

The city of Giessen is likely to face the biggest police operation in its history this weekend. The AfD wants to establish a new youth organization in the city center of Hesse – many organizations are calling for protests against this. Police, emergency services and the city government expected thousands of demonstrators and also feared calls for violence. What impact did this event have on the city and what is its security situation?

The old organization “Junge Alternative” was disbanded in the spring after the AfD broke away from it through a party conference resolution. It is a largely independent club. Before the split, there were also arguments about a possible ban on the association – the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution had classified JA as a right-wing extremist effort.

A new organization will be founded on November 29, which will probably be called “German Generation”. This party must be closely tied to the AfD so that it can have greater influence on the party’s younger generation. At the meeting, party youth must determine the articles of association and name and elect a board of directors. According to party vice-president Kay Gottschalk, there have been almost 1,000 registrations from young people who want to take part in the new company.

The “Oppose” alliance, according to its spokesperson, is a coalition of various groups such as anti-fascist initiatives, trade union groups and climate activists, wanting to block the access route to the Giessen exhibition center with the aim of preventing the founding meeting. But many other groups and initiatives have also called for demonstrations and demonstrations, including the Federation of German Trade Unions in Central Hesse, which wants to set an example for democracy, diversity and solidarity, and the Left Party district association, which views the new AfD youth organization as “clearly hostile to democracy”.

Including a student star parade already planned for Friday, 20 parades and demonstrations are scheduled for the weekend, a city spokesman said. There were expected to be at least 18,000 participants – but estimates suggest there could be up to 40,000 protesters.

How is safety guaranteed this weekend in Giessen?

For weeks, city representatives and police intensively prepared for the event on the last weekend of November. There will then be several thousand police officers from Hesse and other federal states in the university city of around 92,000 residents, and federal police officers will also be involved in the large-scale operation. Police headquarters in Central Hesse said they were preparing for all possible scenarios. Firefighters and rescue services were also involved. According to the city government, its use should be possible at any time and anywhere in accordance with the rescue deadline. Referring to police threat analysis, he also ordered spatial restrictions; A legal dispute regarding this is ongoing at the Giessen Administrative Court.

Are there concerns there will be riots?

Police have previously indicated calls for violence. Hesse’s Interior Minister Roman Poseck (CDU) explained: “On the eve of the founding of the AfD youth organization, there were calls for violence from left-wing groups. I strongly condemn this.” Violence is “never a legitimate means” in a democracy. Anyone who uses violence as a means of political debate disqualifies himself as a supporter of democratic values. “Every perpetrator of violence is an enemy of our democracy; regardless of whether he is on the left or right. We must not allow extreme groups to become increasingly violent against each other.”

Officials deployed at the AfD event and the protesters wanted to “do everything they can to ensure the rule of law prevails this weekend,” the minister said. “This also includes protecting the right of assembly and the physical integrity of those involved.” Poseck also appealed to those involved to remain peaceful and obey the law. “It is legitimate to criticize the AfD and hold demonstrations against it. But rejection of the AfD should not be expressed in violent ways.” He also expected peaceful demonstrators to “distance themselves from violent left-wing groups.”

There was discussion about the venue – why?

The Gießen exhibition hall where the founding meeting will take place belongs to the private company Messe Gießen GmbH, which later belonged to the Dresden Zwerenz Group. Their decision to rent the house to the AfD has also been criticized given the possibility of massive counter-protests, for example from Giessen homeowners and retail association BID Seltersweg.

The trade show defended its decision in an open letter: “All approved parties must be treated equally, regardless of their political orientation,” the company said on its website. “Compared to the freedom of assembly guaranteed by the constitution, freedom of contract in entrepreneurship is no longer important and companies must, like other parties in the past, provide space for the AfD to be an exhibition center.”

Giessen legal expert Steffen Augsberg from Justus Liebig University disputes this. “The trade fair could have said: We will not do that,” the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” quoted him as saying. Companies can choose their own contract partners. In the summer of 2023, the Eritrean Festival also took place at the exhibition hall, ending in violent riots and a large police operation in Giessen.

What traffic restrictions may occur?

The city government emphasizes that Giessen will not be “closed” on weekends, but remains accessible on foot, by bicycle and sometimes by bus. Instead, drivers should prepare for massive restrictions – barriers are planned along the demonstration route at the Gießener Anlagenring and other meeting places in the city center, making large parts of the city center inaccessible to cars. The city provides up-to-date information on its homepage.

What consequences will this event have for trading?

The fact that the founders’ meeting and planned counter-protest took place on the first weekend of Advent in Giessen, which was actually a busy weekend, prompted criticism from retailers. Daniel Kaiser of the Giessen-Friedberg Chamber of Commerce and Industry said it was “very bad timing.” On Giessen’s Seltersweg shopping street, weekly and Christmas markets will also be held on Saturday along with political events – how many shops and stalls will be open remains to be seen.